Do you love egg-fried rice? If so, you're going to love this quick and simple recipe! This is a delicious dish that combines eggs, cold rice, colorful veggies, and seasonings, such as soy sauce and vinegar. It's the perfect way to use leftover rice and an excellent option for a quick and easy meal. Get your wok out!
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Egg fried rice is such a simple recipe, yet, when prepared properly, it is a full explosion of flavor!
I tried many rice recipes from restaurants in all the countries we visited (you must eat Chinese in every country!), and it always has that something, it always tastes right!
In Mumbai egg fried rice on the streets is an adventure, as it is prepared in massive woks and served in plastic takeaway bags. At the same time, in Italy, you'd probably end up having it in a restaurant that looks very upmarket, full of light wood furniture and red tapestry.
It honestly does not matter where, but a bowl of egg fried rice needs to be on the table, and even better if you serve it with a nice spoonful of your very own homemade Schezwan sauce, and why not, a side of Indo Chinese Veg Manchurian!
Egg Fried Rice Overview [Infographics]
Egg Fried Rice Ingredients
- Rice: In this recipe, you will see leftover Basmati rice, however any long-grain rice, such as jasmine rice, will be good, as long as cold before popping into the wok so that the rice grains get the typical taste while stir-frying. Rice vermicelli are a great alternative, too.
- Vegetable Oil: The ingredient needed for the fried effect; ensure it is hot before starting to add other ingredients. Should you wish, sesame oil is a great option too, for an added layer of flavor. Because of its flavor, olive oil is not a great substitute in this recipe.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: Two ingredients that bring heat and freshness to the dish at the same time.
- Eggs: The protein in the meal.
- Cabbage, Carrots, Green Onions: Bring color and crunch to the dish, but more vegetables, such as bell peppers and broccoli can be used too.
- Soy Sauce and Vinegar: Traditional seasonings for the dish!
- Ajinomoto: Chinese salt, brings out the flavor in this dish; use in small amounts.
- Salt and Pepper: Seasoning.
How to make Egg Fried Rice?
- Heat up your wok with the cooking oil in and, as soon as it is hot, add the ginger and garlic; saute until the rawness has gone.
- Add the eggs to the pan and scramble them, while still cooking on high heat; keep on cooking them until fully ready.
- Next, add the shredded cabbage and peeled and diced carrots and stir well.
- At this stage, add the cold cooked rice and mix well; allow to fully warm up before moving to the next stage; on high heat, this should take no more than a couple of minutes.
- The last step to make fried rice with egg perfect is to add the right amount of soya sauce, Ajinomoto, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Mix everything together, ensure the rice is properly seasoned, and enjoy!
People also ask [FAQs]
The most important and less spoken-about ingredient in fried rice with egg is Ajinomoto; it is seasoning or salt that derives from the amino acids that occur in sugar cane, cassava, or corn.
Ajinomoto means the essence of taste and it is the famous brand that produces this salt; the common English name for this form of seasoning is monosodium glutamate (MSG). Consuming large amounts of this seasoning, especially over a long time, may be harmful, so while they enhance the flavor of stir-fried Chinese dishes, it is important to restrict the quantity consumed.
Fried rice can be reheated in two ways: in the wok or the microwave.
The best way to do it is with a wok; simply warm up the wok and sautee the rice until thoroughly hot (if wanted, add a tiny amount of oil to the wok before sauteeing the rice again).
If using the microwave, as you wouldn’t want the rice to become soggy, cover the plate with the microwave dome (the plastic lid used to cover plates in the microwave) and warm for one minute, before mixing well and warming up for a further minute. If needed, repeat the mixing and warming process until the rice is thoroughly hot.
Fried rice was developed in China, a long time ago during the Sui Dynasty. There are multiple ways to make egg fried rice all over the world, with many restaurants all over America having their own version.
The short answer is: no. The egg has to be cooked before adding the rice if not it will cook while mixing to it and create a sort of rice omelet.
As cooking the egg is very quick, should you wish to add it after you have already prepared the fried rice, you can remove the ready fried rice from the pan, cook and scramble the eggs and then add the fried rice again to sautee before serving.
Tips and Tricks for Egg Fried Rice
While this egg fried rice recipe is very easy and quick to follow, some steps are ever so important as they make all the difference in this meal:
- COLD RICE: It is absolutely important that the rice used for any homemade egg fried rice is cold, but also dry. What I mean is the rice can't be cooked and cooled down under running water and used straight away; the best way of preparing the rice for this recipe is to either boil it in advance (ie: in the morning) or to cook it, cool it under the water and allow it to drain in the colander, so that it gets as dry as possible, or, spread it over a large baking tray and allow it to cool down on its own. Dry cold rice will stir fry much better when it hits the hot oil in the wok pan... making a world of difference, and it won't get sticky either!
- HOT PAN: Before starting to cook, the pan must be very hot, as this will give that classic stir-fried flavor to the rice.
- THE RIGHT SIZE PAN: If you have a medium-sized wok and need to cook a lot of rice, do it in batches. This will allow the rice to stir fry nicely through and through and, as you need to warm up the dish in any case, doing it in small batches will allow it to warm up quicker, maintaining a higher standard.
- DON'T OVERCOOK THE VEGGIES: This recipe will ask you to add shredded cabbage, chopped spring onion, and diced carrots... which you want to not only flavor the dish, but also give it that extra color and crunch! Once in the pan, allow the veggies to stir fry, but not cook... quickly move to the next step!
Alternatives and Substitutions
- Rice: Although egg fried rice is mainly prepared with long grain rice, such as Jasmine or Basmati, should you wish to give it a go, brown rice is a good try, with a richer taste.
- Oil: In this recipe, you will notice I use sunflower or vegetable oil, however, sesame oil is also a good choice. I would avoid more flavorful oils such as olive oil, as their taste may be overwhelming for this dish.
- Vegetables: To bulk up the rice, feel free to add more vegetables such as bell peppers, mangetout, broccoli, or mushrooms. Added peas are also very popular in restaurants.
- Chicken and Tofu: Should you wish to add more protein to your dish, shredded chicken or some stir-fried tofu taste delicious!
This egg fried rice is the real deal!
It is a great mid-week meal, as it is quick, tasty, and requires very few ingredients, but it works just as well as a Saturday night fakeaway, where you can serve it with sides and share it with friends and family.
It works very well also for meal preppers and it is a great lunch box option.
Will you be taking your wok out now?
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🍽️ Recipe
The Best Egg Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 240 g White Basmati Rice
- 1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil or Sesame Oil if preferred
- 5 g Chopped, Fresh Ginger
- 5 g Chopped, Fresh Garlic
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Thinly Sliced White Cabbage
- ¾ Cup Thinly Sliced Spring Onions Green Onions
- 1 Carrot Peeled, and Diced
- 2 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Ajinomoto optional
- Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Start by preparing all of the ingredients ensuring they are ready to use, as this recipe is very quick to put together once the prep is done; it is important also to have the eggs cracked and seasoned before starting to cook.
- Cook the rice following the package's instructions and then completely cooldown by draining the rice and using cold water if necessary, so that it doesn't continue cooking while cooling down; leave the rice in the colander so that it continues draining the excess water.
- Heat the wok with the sunflower oil in it; before starting to cook, ensure these are hot, as they will give the typical fried rice flavor.
- Once the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic and allow them to fry until the rawness of the garlic has gone, which should take about 30 seconds.
- Add the beaten and seasoned eggs and allow them to cook; once halfway done, scramble them until they are fully cooked. This whole process should take between 30 seconds and one minute, always keeping the flame high.
- At this stage add the diced carrots and sliced cabbage and mix well, before adding the cold basmati rice. Mix the rice well and sautee' for about a minute.
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, Ajinomoto, salt, and black pepper and mix well.
- Stir fry the rice and allow it to cook until thoroughly warm, then as a last step add the spring onions and saute for a further 30 seconds before serving while hot! Enjoy!
Lana Rosepetal
Egg and fried rice, sure the recipe is delicious, thanks a lot Elle!
Elle
Thank you, Lana!
Kristen
This fried rice turned out fantastic! Thank you for the recipe and all the tips!
Elle
Thank you, Kristen! I'm glad you liked it!
Beth
Count me in! This recipe looks so yummy and very delicious! I can’t believe this is healthy and only takes five minutes too! Excited to make this for dinner tonight!
Elle
Thank you, Beth! Let me know how it goes!
Tavo
Delicious recipe! Super well explained! We loved it! Added to my fav recipes repertoire!
Elle
Thank you, Tavo! Really appreciate your kind words!
Biana
Love the idea of making fried rice in just 5 minutes, and it looks so delicious.
Elle
Thank you, Biana!
Dannii
Anything that is ready in 5 minutes is good with me and this rice looks so comforting.
Elle
Thank you, Dannii! If it's good and quick to prepare... it's a winner!